Honey B Ham sweetens the sandwich scene

The Club sandwich at Honey B Ham Co. is served with ham, turkey and bacon. Photos by Guiseppe Barranco/cat5

The ham store may be your new favorite lunch spot.

With a classic deli selection — including homemade soups, salads and sandwiches like the BLT, ham salad and the Southwest — it only takes one visit during the mid-day hours to determine quickly that this place is full of regulars.

“I love to cook, so it’s not like work,” Davis said. “I cook healthy for myself, so I like to do it here. We prepare everything from scratch and keep health in mind.”

Turkeys and hams are available for any occasion but sell the best during holidays. Now available year-round are casseroles, such as the broccoli and rice, cornbread dressing and baked potato casserole.

As far as sandwiches go, Davis emphasized the popularity of the sourdough buns.

“We will make the sandwiches like you like,” she said.

They may figure out what you like pretty quickly.

“We have lots of regulars — everybody knows everybody,” she said. “They’ve become like family.”

Recommendations: No less than six customers raved to me about the chicken and sausage gumbo, which was a finalist in our reader-voted, chef-judged gumbo competition last November. It’s got a medium dark roux, thick and hearty, that leaves a little burn in your throat like a good gumbo should.

At one table, three men were relaxing after cleaning their plates.

“I’m a gumbo and salad guy,” Mike Jenkins said. “But everything is good. I come here about three times a month.”

“This is our go-to place. We give it an A-plus plus,” said Dee Ashabranner, who was finishing a meal with her three grown children. “The ham and cheese sandwich on sourdough bun with the split pea soup are my faves.”

Her son Rob goes for the Southwest sandwich with avocado and bacon.

“I get the Southwest — it has the chipotle mayo and gives a spicy kick to the traditional sandwich,” he said.

For those poor, unfortunate souls who have never had a good bowl of split pea soup in their lives, this is a good place to experience it. It is comfort food at its best, if you can get past the pea green hue. And it tastes exactly like my mom’s version.

The J&J, named after Davis’ granddaughters Julia and Jilliane, is made with pastrami on chewy ciabatta bread and has an addictive flavor.

The drink situation: Fountain drinks and iced tea are all you need with classic lunch fare.

Atmosphere: is casual lunch eatery. Nothing fancy, just a place to enjoy your meal and your friends.

Extras and Specials: There’s no need to wait for Christmas to order a tasty ham with a few casseroles for the family. Enjoy a mouth-watering meal in your home without the hassle. They deliver in town for any order over $50.

There are plenty of other handy pick-up options, including containers of gumbo and homemade soups. They also sell jars of their own sweet and spicy pickles and make their own cookies, cake and toffee candy.

The verdict: Next time you’re in the mood for a sandwich made with love, remember that Honey B Ham is so much more than ham. You just might find your new favorite lunch spot.